Best Discord Bots Every Discord Server Needs in 2026

So you made a Discord server and you’re ready to welcome new members. But you’ve also heard that for a server to be functional, it needs some bots.

They’re useful for security, organization, automation, and entertainment. The right bots transform a basic server into a community that runs itself while you sleep.

Here’s a list of Discord bots you’ll actually need for your server in 2026.

---

🏆 All-in-One Bots

These bots try to do everything: moderation, leveling, welcome messages, and more.

MEE6

Website: mee6.xyz
Servers: 19+ million
Best for: Server owners who want one bot to rule them all

MEE6 is probably the most popular Discord bot, and for good reason. It’s well-rounded and does a little bit of everything. It’s also the only Discord bot I’ve ever paid for.

Pros:

• Clean, easy-to-use dashboard
• Leveling system with custom rank cards
• Welcome/goodbye messages with custom cards
• Reaction roles
• Stream alerts (YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, X, BlueSky, Reddit, Instagram, Kick)
• Emoji management directly from the website
• Invite tracking
• Birthday tracking
• Built-in monetization system

Cons:

• Many features locked behind premium
• €89 (~$100) for lifetime, or monthly subscription
• Can feel bloated if you only need one feature

Verdict: If you’re serious about running a server and willing to pay, MEE6 is the gold standard. If you’re broke, you’ll need to piece together free alternatives.

---

Arcane

Website: arcane.bot
Servers: 2.68 million+
Best for: MEE6 features without MEE6 pricing

Won “Bot of the Year” on top.gg. Arcane is what MEE6 would be if the free tier was actually generous.

Pros:

• XP leveling with role rewards
• Member and goal counters
• Social alerts (Twitch, YouTube, etc.)
• Moderation features
• Logs and analytics
• Most features actually free

Cons:

• Less polished dashboard than MEE6
• Fewer integrations overall
• Smaller community/support

Verdict: The best free alternative to MEE6. Start here if you don’t want to pay.

---

Probot

Website: probot.io
Best for: Simpler setup than MEE6

I haven’t personally tried Probot extensively, but I’ve heard good things. It looks like a simpler, cleaner version of MEE6.

Pros:

• Reaction roles, leveling, welcome messages
• Less overwhelming dashboard
• Arabic language support (rare)

Cons:

• Less feature-rich than MEE6
• Premium features unclear

Verdict: Good if MEE6 feels too complex. Worth trying.

---

🛡️ Moderation Bots

Keep your server safe from spam, raids, and toxic behavior.

Dyno

Website: dyno.gg
Best for: Strict, no-nonsense moderation

Dyno is what I use for moderation, and it’s strict. If you’ve ever been hate-raided on Twitch and had trolls spill into your Discord, you know why robust moderation matters.

Pros:

• Powerful auto-mod with escalating punishments
• Comprehensive mod logs (kicks, bans, mutes, warnings)
• Soft ban (ban + unban to delete messages)
• User history tracking
• Very generous free tier
• In-depth documentation

Cons:

• Dashboard feels dated
• Fun features are meh (stick to moderation)
• Some advanced features need premium

Verdict: The strict moderation bot. I run it alongside other bots purely for auto-mod and logging.

---

Carl-bot

Website: carl.gg
Best for: Reaction roles and logging

At some point, Carl-bot became THE bot for reaction roles, and it still holds that crown.

Pros:

• Best reaction roles (250 roles per message)
• Excellent logging system
• Free game alerts integration
• Suggestion system
• Incredibly powerful custom commands
• Extremely generous free tier

Cons:

• Dashboard can be overwhelming
• Twitch alerts limited on free tier
• Steep learning curve for advanced features

Verdict: Essential for reaction roles. The logging alone makes it worth adding.

---

YAGPDB

Website: yagpdb.xyz
Best for: Power users who want maximum control

“Yet Another General Purpose Discord Bot.” The most customizable bot on Discord.

Pros:

• Completely free
• Custom command builder is insanely powerful
• Advanced auto-moderation
• Reddit/YouTube feeds
• Can do almost anything if you learn it

Cons:

• Steep learning curve
• Documentation assumes technical knowledge
• Not beginner-friendly at all

Verdict: For power users only. If you know what you’re doing, it’s unmatched.

---

💰 Economy & Fun Bots

Games, currency systems, and entertainment that keep members engaged.

Dank Memer

Website: dankmemer.lol
Servers: 8.6 million+
Best for: Chaotic fun and gambling

The king of Discord economy bots. Dank Memer has been around forever and it’s still the most feature-packed fun bot.

Pros:

• Full currency system with gambling, trading, heists
• Rob your friends (with consequences)
• Meme generation commands
• Pet system
• Item collection with rare drops
• Regular events and updates
• Almost everything is free

Cons:

• Can be chaotic/spammy
• Economy can get unbalanced
• Some members get TOO into it

Verdict: Every server with a “chill” or “bot-spam” channel needs this. It’s what keeps people coming back.

---

Tatsu

Website: tatsu.gg
Servers: 1.49 million+
Best for: Chill economy without PvP drama

If Dank Memer is chaos, Tatsu is chill. Collecting and building rather than gambling and robbing.

Pros:

• 110+ collectible pets
• Build a house with 1000+ furniture items
• Global economy with trading
• Clean profile cards
• Leveling system with role rewards

Cons:

• Less exciting than Dank Memer
• Slower progression
• Some features need premium

Verdict: For communities that want economy without the robbing drama.

---

Mimu

Website: mimubot.com
Servers: 3.43 million+
Best for: Aesthetic/cozy servers

The aesthetic economy bot. Fits cute/cozy themes better than Dank Memer’s chaos.

Pros:

• Per-server currency (not global)
• Custom shop items you create
• 400+ crisis/suicide hotlines built in
• Autoresponder for custom commands
• Clean, minimal design

Cons:

• Less feature-rich than Dank Memer
• Aesthetic over functionality sometimes

Verdict: Perfect for aesthetic servers. The crisis hotlines feature is genuinely important for mental health communities.

---

🎴 Anime & Card Collecting Bots

MASSIVE category. Some servers exist purely for these games.

Mudae

Website: top.gg/bot/432610292342587392
Servers: 3.37 million+
Best for: Anime character collecting and server drama

The OG anime character collecting bot. 140,000+ characters from anime and games.

Pros:

• Huge character database (140K+)
• Roll and claim mechanics
• Trading system
• “Marry” characters
• Creates genuine server engagement/drama

Cons:

• Learning curve for all the commands
• Can dominate server activity
• Character claiming causes arguments (feature or bug?)

Verdict: If you want anime character collecting, this is the standard. Prepare for drama over who claimed who.

---

Karuta

Website: karuta.com
Servers: 877K+
Best for: Actual card game mechanics

The premium anime card experience. 170,000+ cards with real game mechanics.

Pros:

• Cards have stats and upgrades
• Dating sim elements
• Card battles
• Stunning card art
• More “game” than just collecting

Cons:

• Steeper learning curve than Mudae
• Can be pay-to-win feeling
• Smaller community than Mudae

Verdict: If Mudae is collecting baseball cards, Karuta is playing Magic: The Gathering.

---

Pokétwo

Website: poketwo.net
Servers: 1.48 million+
Best for: Pokémon nostalgia

Pokémon on Discord. Catch, level, evolve, trade, and battle.

Pros:

• Pokémon spawn randomly in chat
• Full Pokédex to complete
• Leveling and evolution
• Trading between users
• Shiny hunting
• Free and open source

Cons:

• Channels get VERY active
• People camp channels for spawns
• Can overshadow actual conversation

Verdict: If your community has Pokémon nostalgia, this bot will take over. Fair warning: it’s addictive.

---

Other Card Bots

• SOFI (258K servers) - Anime, K-pop, Genshin cards
• Tofu (84.9K servers) - Anime + video game characters
• Gachapon (119K servers) - 30K+ characters, gacha mechanics

---

📈 Leveling Bots

Dedicated XP and ranking systems.

AmariBot

Website: amaribot.com
Best for: Granular control over leveling

More control than MEE6 or Arcane’s built-in leveling.

Pros:

• Channel-specific XP rates
• Weekly leaderboard resets
• Import levels from other bots
• Custom level-up messages

Cons:

• Just leveling (no other features)
• Less pretty than MEE6 rank cards

Verdict: Best dedicated leveling bot if you want fine-tuned control.

---

📨 Invite Tracking Bots

Track who’s bringing members to your server.

Invite Tracker

Website: invite-tracker.com
Servers: 1.91 million+
Best for: Affiliate programs and referral rewards

The most popular dedicated invite tracker.

Pros:

• Tracks who invited who
• Counts invites per link
• Detects fake invites (leave + rejoin)
• Built-in giveaway system with invite requirements

Cons:

• Single-purpose bot
• Some features need premium

Verdict: Essential if you run “invite 5 friends for a role” promotions.

---

🎁 Giveaway Bots

Run giveaways without manual work.

Giveaway Boat

Website: giveaway.bot
Servers: 461K+
Best for: Professional giveaways with requirements

More advanced than basic giveaway bots.

Pros:

• Entry requirements (role, messages, invites)
• Multiple entry methods
• Templates for quick setup
• Dashboard management

Cons:

• Overkill for simple giveaways
• Some features need premium

Verdict: If you’re giving away Discord Nitro you earned on NitroLoot, this makes it professional.

---

GiveawayBot (Classic)

Website: giveawaybot.party
Best for: Simple, no-frills giveaways

Pros:

• Dead simple setup
• Set duration, set winners, done
• Completely free

Cons:

• No requirements or advanced features
• Basic UI

Verdict: For simple giveaways that just work.

---

🎤 Temporary Voice Channels

Let members create their own voice channels.

TempVoice

Website: top.gg/bot/705372626539929702
Servers: 329K+
Best for: Gaming servers

Pros:

• Members create channels by joining a trigger channel
• Channels auto-delete when empty
• Users can rename, limit, lock their channels
• Keeps channel list clean

Cons:

• Single-purpose
• Setup requires some configuration

Verdict: Essential for gaming servers where squads want private voice.

---

🎵 Music Bots

Rythm (Yes, It’s Back)

Website: rythm.fm
Servers: 19.7 million+
Best for: The classic music bot experience

The most popular music bot ever returned in 2023.

Pros:

• 24/7 mode (free!)
• Autoplay to keep music going
• Volume control
• Web app + desktop app + Discord Activity
• Actually sustainable now

Cons:

• Not quite the same as old Rythm
• Some features need getting used to

Verdict: If you used Rythm before the shutdown, it’s back and better.

---

Jockie Music

Website: jockiemusic.com
Best for: Multiple voice channels

Pros:

• YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud support
• 4 free bot instances (4 voice channels!)
• Solid queue management

Cons:

• Less polished than Rythm
• 4 instances can be confusing to set up

Verdict: Unbeatable for servers that need music in multiple channels.

---

Hydra

Website: hydra.bot
Best for: Clean interface

Pros:

• Button controls (modern feel)
• Spotify integration
• Lyrics display

Cons:

• 24/7 needs premium

Verdict: Best UI of any music bot.

---

Other Music Bots

• FlaviBot (1.44M servers) - Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal support
• Musico (1.1M servers) - Unlimited free music
• Lofi Radio - 24/7 lo-fi beats, completely free

---

🎮 Niche Utility Bots

Free Stuff Bot

Website: freestuffbot.xyz
Best for: Gaming communities

Alerts when games go free on Epic, Steam, GOG.

Pros:

• Configure exactly which platforms
• Distinguishes “free forever” vs “free weekend”
• Individual platform filtering

Cons:

• April Fools fake alerts (can disable)
• Gaming-specific

Verdict: Every gaming server needs this.

---

Trivia Bot

Website: Search on top.gg
Best for: That one bored member

Pros:

• Trivia games with categories
• Leaderboards
• Winners can earn Discord Nitro (monthly)
• Multiple languages

Cons:

• Needs its own channel
• Niche use case

Verdict: If you’re looking for ways to earn Discord Nitro for free, winning Trivia Bot is one legitimate method.

---

Statbot

Website: statbot.net
Best for: Data nerds

Server analytics: member growth, message activity, voice usage, popular channels.

Verdict: Know your server’s data. Make better decisions.

---

Ticket Tool

Website: tickettool.xyz
Best for: Support systems

Creates private support channels instead of DM chaos.

Verdict: Essential for any server offering support.

---

✅ Recommended Setup by Server Size

Small Servers (Under 100 members)

Purpose	Bot
All-in-one	MEE6 or Arcane
Moderation	Dyno
Music	Rythm or Jockie
Fun	Dank Memer

Medium Servers (100-1,000 members)

Add:

Purpose	Bot
Reaction roles	Carl-bot
Game alerts	Free Stuff Bot
Card games	Mudae or Pokétwo
Growth tracking	Invite Tracker
Analytics	Statbot

Large Servers (1,000+ members)

Add:

Purpose	Bot
Advanced automation	YAGPDB
Support tickets	Ticket Tool
Voice channels	TempVoice
Giveaways	Giveaway Boat

Anime/Gaming Servers (Any Size)

Purpose	Bot
Card collecting	Mudae + Karuta + Pokétwo
Economy	Dank Memer
Game alerts	Free Stuff Bot
Moderation	Dyno or Carl-bot

---

🚫 Bots to Avoid

“Free Nitro” bots - Scams. Always. No bot generates Discord Nitro. Earn it legitimately.

Bots asking for your password - Never. Ever.

Bots from random DMs - Only add bots from official websites.

Bots requiring admin for basic features - Red flag.

Learn more about staying safe on Discord.

---

The Reality: You’ll Need Multiple Bots

If you’re not paying for MEE6 premium, you’ll need multiple bots:

• MEE6/Arcane for leveling and welcome messages
• Dyno for strict moderation
• Carl-bot for reaction roles
• Free Stuff Bot for game alerts
• A music bot for voice channels

That’s 5 bots already. It’s not elegant, but it works. Free bots cost nothing compared to premium subscriptions.

---

Adding Bots: Quick Steps

1. Go to the bot’s official website
2. Click “Add to Discord” or “Invite”
3. Select your server from the dropdown
4. Review permissions (only grant what’s necessary)
5. Complete captcha
6. Configure via dashboard or /help

---

Quick Reference

Category	Top Picks
All-in-One	MEE6, Arcane, Probot
Moderation	Dyno, Carl-bot, YAGPDB
Leveling	Arcane, AmariBot, MEE6
Economy/Fun	Dank Memer, Tatsu, Mimu
Card Collecting	Mudae, Karuta, Pokétwo
Music	Rythm, Jockie, Hydra
Giveaways	Giveaway Boat, GiveawayBot
Invites	Invite Tracker
Utility	Ticket Tool, Statbot, TempVoice

---

Final Thoughts

Start with moderation (Dyno or MEE6), add reaction roles (Carl-bot), layer in engagement (leveling, economy, card games), and expand from there.

Don’t install 15 bots on day one. Add them as needs arise. 4-5 well-configured bots beats a dozen half-broken ones.

Want more Discord tips?

• Is Discord Nitro worth it?
• Best Discord servers to join in 2026
• How to grow your Discord server
• Stay safe from Discord scams

Happy botting 🤖